Following the accomplished 10-year tenure of Jamie Richardson, who resigned back in the fall, Mark DeCarli takes over the reins of a squad coming off its fourth trip to states in the last five years, a streak highlighted by winning the PIAA championship in 2009.

Last season's promising campaign came to an end in the first round of the state tournament, with the Blue Devils posting a final record of 18-7, including a runner-up finish in the District 3-AAA playoffs.

"I'm fortunate to be taking over a great program with a winning tradition already in place," DeCarli said. "We expect to be competitive throughout the year, compete for a division title and make a run at states. Every girl on the roster can contribute, so we're excited to see what happens."

While G-A welcomes back plenty of returning talent, overcoming the loss of four key seniors from a year ago isn't going to be easy.

Wink handled the pitching duties in 152 of the Blue Devils' 166 innings played last year, recording 151 strikeouts paired with a stout 1.70 ERA.

Crunkleton, Kline and Cordell accounted for the three best batting averages on the team, each hitting above .400 while combining for 85 RBI. Crunkleton led G-A with a .483 average and 36 runs scored followed by Kline's average of .429, with team-highs in RBI's (32) and home runs (4).

Despite being unlikely to replace previous power, the Blue Devils intend to offset the losses with speed, beginning with the return of Mary Ward.

Now a senior, Ward enters her fourth year as a varsity starter, acting as a leader in the field and at the plate. Already signed on to continue her softball career at Penn State, Ward will anchor the outfield in center while providing a consistent spark at the leadoff spot. As a junior, Ward batted .353, scored 32 runs and stole 13 bases on 13 attempts, earning a selection to the Mid-Penn Colonial Division First Team.

Also returning as experienced senior leaders are the likes of Casey German, Whitley Mongan, Mackenzie Gayman and Haleigh Regal, each of whom will assume expanded roles this spring. German is slated to start at catcher with Mongan and Regal accompanying Ward in the outfield. Gayman will slide over from shortstop to second base, as the addition of sophomore Erin Bontrager provides G-A with a promising tandem in the middle of the infield.

Page 2 of 2 - Kelsey Brewbaker takes over as the Blue Devils' ace on the mound, shouldering a full-time varsity spot after being called upon to pitch in four games last season. Only a freshman, Elizabeth Ward is penciled in as G-A's No. 2 hurler, officially becoming a teammate to older sister Mary.

Back after contributing to the Blue Devils' success a season ago, the trio of Katie Gelsinger, Michaela Ensminger and Kristin Hoffman are expected to solidify the middle portion of the batting order while offering versatility on the defensive side.

Ashlynn Schaeffer steps in to anchor third base and provide a presence at the plate with Brooke Zeger, Jen Patton and Cheyenne Kaiser adding depth to a seemingly solid lineup.

"The girls have been working hard and responding well to some of the new things we've been implementing," DeCarli said. "All of them have a role on this team. We are going to hit a few bumps along the way, but the potential is there for us to do some great things."

G-A opens the season on Tuesday at home against James Buchanan. Game time is set for 4:15 p.m.

Northern, who won the Colonial crown last season, snapped the Blue Devils' quest for an eighth straight Mid-Penn divisional title while fellow Colonial member Big Spring went on to win the state championship in Class AAA.